After Chelsea paid the French Ligue 1 team 27 million euros for Lesley Ugochukwu’s services, the Premier League club has finalized the transfer of the player.
The French footballer, 19, who was born in Nigeria signed a seven-year deal with Chelsea that will keep him with the team through June 30, 2030. His contract also contains an option for an additional year.
Before leaving Rennes, Lesley Ugochukwu played in one Europa League match and 47 Ligue 1 contests.
Ugochukwu has played for France at the under-17, under-18, and under-19 levels while still being eligible to play for either the senior squad of Nigeria or France.
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His arrival at Chelsea is considered as Mauricio Pochettino’s attempt to bolster his midfield following the departure of midfield-focused players like Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, and Mason Mount in this summer transfer window.
Lesley Ugochukwu, who made his senior Rennes debut just after turning 17 years old, is reportedly considering returning on loan to Todd Boehly and his consortium-owned Ligue 1 club, Strasbourg.
Chelsea has a strategy to add young players with the potential to develop into future stars of the game while also trimming down their bloated squad after spending £600 million over the previous two transfer windows.
After adding Ugochukwu to their list of youngsters, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “He [Ugochukwu] is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1. He has a huge amount of potential and we know he is going to continue to develop and improve.
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“We are pleased that he has joined us in the United States [on their pre-season tour] and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly.”
This summer, Lesley Ugochukwu joined Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, and a young Brazilian player named Angelo Gabriel at Chelsea.
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